Jazz at The Horsebridge

Jazz at The Horsebridge is a monthly event celebrating the best of live jazz in all its forms. Held on Sunday evenings, each month features a different performer from across the jazz, blues and world music spectrum. Featuring top notch vocalists and musicians from across the county and beyond, Jazz at the Horsebridge is an exciting part of the Horsebridge performance calendar and the Whitstable music scene.

With a tremendous passion for vocal and instrumental jazz, Broad Reach Records presents a fantastic range of high-calibre artists, led by Artistic Director Kai Hoffman. 

Artist enquiries please email broadreachrecords@gmail.com

bar opens 4pm. 
Tickets £17.50 or £15 for Friends.

The Horsebridge is delighted to welcome back clarinettist and composer, Julian Marc Stringle and his Dreamband, who will perform a varied programme of jazz, blues and Latin classics, as well their own compositions. Julian has wowed musical audiences around the world since his TV debut at the age of 14, performing with the legendary Acker Bilk. He is a multiple ‘best clarinettist’ British Jazz Awards winner, with the late Sir John Dankworth pronouncing that “his performance has WORLD CLASS written all over it” and Jim Mullen stating that “Julian is one of the world’s greatest clarinet players”.

Whilst following in the jazz clarinet’s glorious heritage, including players like Benny Goodman, Artie Shaw and Peanuts Hucko, Julian has been a pioneer in placing the clarinet in a contemporary musical setting. His phenomenal technique results in a highly melodic unique sound. This ranges from modern interpretations of classics like “Sweet Georgia Brown”, through to straight-ahead jazz compositions, to more funky Latin jazz numbers. His versatility has also made him clarinettist of choice for collaborations outside jazz, including artists as varied as the Spice Girls, Tina Turner and Meatloaf.

This evening, Julian is joined by his band of top-class musicians, including Neil Angilley (piano), Jacqui Hicks (vocals), Dominic Ashworth (guitar), Davide Mantovani (bass) and Mike Bradley (drums). We look forward to another exciting performance!

bar opens 4pm. 
Tickets £17.50 or £15 for Friends.

An exciting and inventive saxophonist, Art Themen has been an appealing presence on the British jazz circuit for over 60 years. A previous winner of the tenor sax category in the British Jazz Awards, recipient of a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Worshipful Company of Musicians and shortlisted for the Jazz Instrumentalist of the year in the recent Parliamentary Jazz Awards, this living legend has famously
combined his role as a Consultant Orthopaedic Surgeon with saxophone duties in the bands of Alexis Korner and Stan Tracey as well as recordings with Joe Cocker, Jack Bruce and even Bing Crosby. Described by The Observer as "One of the tiny handful of undeniably perfect jazz musicians”, he remains as brilliant and inimitable as ever.

Themen’s organ trio features organist Pete Whittaker, formerly of The Nigel Price Organ Trio, and drummer George Double who has worked as sideman to Shirley Bassey and Jack Jones. The band’s groove-led re-imaginings of quirky curiosities from the jazz canon act as a perfect vehicle for the twinkly mischief of this genuine grandee of British jazz and have delighted crowds at over 100 gigs at Ronnie Scott’s, The Royal Albert Hall’s Elgar Room, the 606 club in Chelsea and across the UK.

The Trio’s third album Live In Soho is released on Ubuntu Music and captures a
magical night at PizzaExpressLive in Dean Street in August 2023.
 

bar opens 4pm. 
Tickets £17.50 or £15 for Friends.

For 30 years alto saxophonist, composer and improviser Martin Speake has been exploring non-Western rhythmic and melodic approaches inspired by the music of many cultures. In particular Indian, Arabic, Turkish, African and Jazz traditions. The latest incarnation is Charukesi, named after an Indian raga. Previous versions were Fever Pitch, Unison Quartet and Mafarowi. It is direct, groove based music with compelling and memorable melodies rooted in a dynamic tuba and drums rhythm section with impassioned soloing and interaction from Alyson’s tenor and Martin’s alto.

'Martin Speake is one of the most interesting and rewarding alto saxophonists now playing jazz on any continent.’Thomas Conrad - Jazz Times

Martin Speake alto saxophone and compositions
Alyson Cawley tenor saxophone
Richard Fox tuba
Tom Hooper drums

bar opens 4pm. 
Tickets £17.50 or £15 for Friends.

Immy Churchill is one of the UK’s most exciting young jazz voices — a vocalist, lyricist and singer-songwriter already making waves across the UK and European jazz scenes. Hailed as a “rising star”, she has performed at the country’s most iconic venues including Ronnie Scott’s, Pizza Express Live, and The Vortex, and tours regularly in Germany and Switzerland.

A graduate of the Royal Academy of Music, Immy has collaborated with leading artists such as Emma Rawicz, Lukas DeRungs, Florian Arbenz, and Greg Osby, with projects leading to acclaimed recording opportunities including Emma Rawicz’s ACT release Chroma. Her creative partnerships continue to flourish, sparking new ventures with Florian Arbenz and Greg Osby while simultaneously developing her own distinctive voice as a songwriter.

Alongside curating The Downstairs Living Room Series at The Vortex Jazz Club, Immy has been steadily building her solo work. Her debut release, Give Me Time To Breathe, will be unveiled in June 2025, marking a new and compelling chapter in her career.

For this special performance, Immy invites you to share an evening of song with her close collaborators Dom Howard (guitar)and Scottie Thompson (keyboard) — both fellow Royal Academy graduates and exceptional performers in their own right. The trio draws on a wealth of influences from jazz, folk, and the singer-songwriter tradition, blending improvisation and poetry into a unique sound-world. Expect an intimate journey through standards, folk songs, and original compositions inspired by John Taylor, Pat Metheny, Bill Frisell, and Norma Winstone — all filtered through the group’s ethereal, story-driven approach.

Up next

25 October: TBC
29 November: Steve Waterman
20 December: TBC